This projects aims at developing novel techniques to generate laser light pulses (mode-locking) in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral region. This is motivated by the need of reliable and tuneable sources operating at these wavelengths for various applications especially focussing on medical diagnostics and surgery, and including imaging, sensing and communications. We plan to overcome limitation of existing pulsed laser sources emitting around 2 micron wavelength by developing ultrafast fibre lasers based on Thulium gain medium which produce pulses in a self-starting way, with easily controllable properties (such as repetition rate and central frequency), and using a robust architecture suitable for out-of-the-lab applications. This project will combine the expertise of the PI (Dr. Perego from Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University) in numerical modelling and design of novel techniques for light pulses generation, with the experimental expertise of the Partner (Dr. Maria Chernysheva from Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technologies, Jena, Germany) in fibre lasers operating in the SWIR spectral region.